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Nutritionist Jessica Sepel explained how you can overcome sleepless nights

Jessica's blog post makes it clear as to why we spend one third of our lives sleeping.

She explained that sleep helps to repair and restore our bodies for the days ahead.

It also helps when it comes to weight and appetite control as when we're tired we are more likely to make poor food choices and skip exercise in favour of relaxing at home.

Jessica recommended that you first need to take a look at what you are doing that could be disrupting your sleep, such as being stressed or not eating enough protein at dinner, and address those issues.

PRIORITISE SLEEP AND TURN THE LIGHTS OFF EARLY

With our busy schedules, we tend to sacrifice sleep so we can complete tasks that are on our to-do list - but Jessica recommends that we avoid doing this.

Sleep is something that we should be prioritising and she said that we should be doing whatever we can to get into bed at a decent time so you can sleep seven to eight hours each night.

If you know you have to wake up early the following morning Jessica suggests turning your lights off earlier than usual the night before.

'You'll be able to function better in your day-to-day life... You'll be alert at work, make fewer mistakes, and be less reactive to intense or emotional situations,' she wrote.

'Sleep deprivation heightens everything, making it seem worse than it is... You'll also be able to keep your weight, appetite and emotional eating under control, so you'll probably binge less.'

If you know you have to wake up early the following morning Jessica suggests turning your lights off earlier than usual the night before (stock image)

WIND DOWN

Another suggestion of Jessica's is to set up a nighttime routine to help yourself unwind at the end of the day.

If you spend time relaxing your busy mind then it helps send signals to your body that it's time for bed.

One main way to do this is by turning your phone and computer off at 8pm each night and follow this by playing 'chill-out tunes', aiming for music that has 60-80 beats per minute.

She also suggested popping your legs up against the wall for ten minutes, not eating food after dinner and soaking in a bath or reading a book to calm the mind.

Another suggestion of Jessica's (pictured) was to set up a nighttime routine to help yourself unwind at the end of the day.

Jessica (pictured) then recommended that you follow this by playing 'chill-out tunes', aiming for music that has 60-80 beats per minute

MAKE YOUR ROOM A PEACEFUL PLACE

Jessica believes that we all need to aim to make our bedrooms as desirable as possible and to learn to associate them solely with sleep.

'In the hour or so before bed, dim the lights, put lavender oil on the pillows, and light a candle or burn essential oils,' she recommended.

'Take away any computers and distractions so the room is a technology-free zone, and ensure the room temperature is comfortable. Ideally, your bedroom should be dark and cool.'

She also suggested keeping a notepad near your bed so whenever pesky thoughts enter your head you can right them down.

Jessica recommended that you take away any distractions and technology from your bedroom so that you can have a better nights sleep (stock image)

TWEAK YOUR DIET

There is a strong connection between your diet and sleep and there are certain rules you should and shouldn't follow.

Jessica explained that making sure you're eating enough protein at night can benefit your sleep and blood sugar regulation as low protein meals tend to make it much more difficult to fall asleep.

Other recommendations were to consume good fats, which helps balance out your hormones, and eat foods rich in a liver detoxifying enzyme, such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale.

Drinking alcohol before bed was one of the things she recommends people do not do.

The same goes for eating refined sugar, which spikes your blood sugars, and drinking caffeine after midday.

'Sip on green tea after midday. A lot of people are sensitive to its caffeine content and don't know it,' Jessica concluded.